The Hitchhiker: Short Haul
by TempestDash
Summary: Shorter stories within the larger 'The Hitchhiker' universe, mostly set after The Hitchhiker 3.
1. Second Chances

The Hitchhiker: Short Haul

*** KP - - KP – KP ***

**1. Second Chances**

_Day 504_

_Shego comes home from the hospital today!_

_I know! It's only been almost a week since the accident, but that time has felt like FOREVER. Especially after... well, you know. Kissing her. I'm not sure what I wanted when I did that, but, it felt right. I wasn't weirded out at all, and I kinda half expected to be. But it was sweet... and a little pinch-y. That was my fault, I was kinda still tired and not thinking straight._

_Hah. Thinking 'straight.' No, indeed I wasn't._

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Kim's grin was infectious, and she was nearly stopped at the front desk of the Hospital in order to be quarantined. As such she found Shego already trying to leave her room without her, which, given the cane, arm sling, and full leg brace, was not going exceptionally well. Kim just beamed at her anyway.

"What are you so happy about?" asked Shego, annoyed.

Kim stared. "You being able to leave here! _Doy!_"

"Wow, did you become me while I was asleep?"

"Somebody had to," said Kim with a lift in her voice. "It's not like Sylia or Priss is gonna pick up the slack, they've got their own crazy to manage."

Shego found herself infected by Kim's contagion. "What about your brand of crazy, Princess?" she asked with a smile.

Kim swooped down to help Shego stand up and then grab the duffle bag of clothes at the foot of the hospital bed. "It's all tangled up in you right now," she said. She spotted the cane lying on the floor and kicked it up into her hand, twirled it once, then offered it to Shego.

Narrowing her eyes, Shego took the cane and held it in front of her. "This is pathetic."

"I'll get you one with fire decals on the sides," offered Kim. "After we get out of here."

"I shouldn't need it at all," scowled Shego, her mood finally recovering from Kim's contact high. "I can't believe I was so stupid. Priss even _warned_ me about that turn."

Kim toned down the power of her smile a bit to appear less manic. "Hey. It's said and done now. Focus on the good side of things."

"What good side?" grumbled Shego. She started to take a cautious step forward but Kim gently touched her on the shoulder. With a glare, Shego turned to look at the girl by her side.

"You're still alive," Kim said softly. Her cheeks started reddening as her hand moved over to Shego's neck and wrapped gently behind it. "And if you weren't, we couldn't do this."

With a slight pull, Kim guided Shego's head down and pressed her lips tenderly against her. This kiss was the antithesis of their earlier effort. Where that one was coarse and desperate, this was soft, gradual, and full of longing. Like sculpture, they carefully crafted their union, pushing aside the world - which was suddenly very unnecessary – and revealed the shape of their desire. Kim dropped the duffle bag and brought her arm around to the small of Shego's back. In return, her partner ran her good hand up between Kim's shoulder blades and into her hair where Shego's fingers playfully tangled themselves up in her red locks.

In unison they pulled their bodies together, then hesitated momentarily when they started to crush Shego's slung arm. Without a word or even batting a lash they gently moved her arm around to rest behind Kim and then continued pressing into each other, feeling one another as best they could with layers of clothes between them. Time held in suspension as they kissed, slowly caressing one another, sometimes adjusting when Kim's hands found one of Shego's still sore wounds, but always with measured precision and never alarm. It was a symphony of tiny coordinated motions.

"Oh!"

The sound was intrusive and an unwelcome reminder of the world beyond their bodies, but one that both women knew needed to be responded to. With reluctance, they broke contact with their lips and opened their eyes to look at one another once more before Kim stepped around to Shego's side to see who it was that had made the noise behind her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," said Dr. Ann McKullen from the hallway. She looked a little apologetic but mostly embarrassed. "I was hoping to catch you before you left."

"It's okay, doc," said Shego.

Kim was a little confused but it was hard to feel anything other than contentment at the moment. "You haven't gone back to the Mayo Clinic yet?"

"No, I wanted to stay close to Shego during her recovery," she said. "I can do most of my work remotely these days, even teach classes."

"Thanks for all your help," said Shego. "I feel normal again... well, in my head anyway. Apparently my body needs to catch up."

"Yes, you've done remarkably well given your injuries," said Ann with just a bit of hesitation.

"What's wrong?" asked Shego, not willing to let the pause go unstated.

"I was wondering if you would mind if I came back to check up on you periodically," she said. "Run a few tests?"

"Why?" asked Kim. "What tests?"

"Just an MRI or two," she said. "I'm curious about... well, I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Something wrong with my brain?" asked Shego directly.

"Not ... wrong, per se," said Ann. "Just unusual. You have some scarring, probably the result of an older injury, and it's healed over in an extraordinary manner. I'm not quite sure I've ever seen anything like it."

"Does this have something to do with my sleep pattern?" asked Shego. She froze for a moment with a confused look on her face. "Actually, I've been sleeping regularly since I ended up in the hospital. Did the accident fix what was wrong?"

"What do you mean?" asked Ann. "What sleep pattern?"

"She only sleeps once every two days," said Kim. "Has since she was a kid."

"Extraordinary," said Ann. "And you have no side effects to this?"

"I'm bored a lot at night," said Shego. "But no, I just need about a quarter of the sleep anyone else needs. At least, until last week. Did you do something when you were rooting around up there?"

"I was not actually ever 'up there'," said Ann, pointing towards Shego's forehead. "You were already out of surgery when I arrived."

"Oh, fine, whatever. Did those other doctors do anything?"

"Not that would explain the disruption of your circadian rhythm, or the correction of it, for that matter. Have you ever seen a doctor about it?"

"Yeah," nodded Shego. "They said I had something called Adenosine Immunity."

Ann stared at Shego for a moment. "That is not possible."

"Hey, that's what the guy said," said Shego.

"That may be true, but if that were indeed the case, you'd have a lot more problems than lost sleep... like tachycardia," said the doctor. "Adenosine plays a large role throughout the body beyond its sedative qualities."

"Hey, I'm no doctor, doc," said Shego.

"I realize that, which is why I'd like - with your permission – to research your conditions a little further. The scarring was one thing, but your Non-24 Disorder indicates an even more extensive change to normal brain physiology."

Shego eyed the doctor suspiciously. "Are you just looking to get famous off me?"

"Not at all," said Ann, a little insulted. "I'm interested in the unknown and advancing human medicine beyond our current limits. If the specific changes that led to your condition can be identified, it would reveal an immense amount of information about how the brain works." Ann held her hands together, looking hopeful. "Oh, and you don't have to worry about fees or anything, it'll come out of my research grants."

Shego frowned deeply, and was silent for several moments.

"You can trust her," said Kim, softly. Shego looked at her with an arched brow. "I'll tell you later," added Kim.

Shego sighed. "All right, what do you need from me?"

"For now let's just schedule an appointment to do another MRI and let me ask you some more questions about your condition," said Ann with a broad smile. "Oh, and let me know if your condition returns after you're outside the hospital."

"Fine," said Shego.

Ann handed her a business card. "Just call me when you get settled back and we can set up an appointment."

Shego nodded in a cursory manner and the doctor nearly skipped back down the hall in excitement. Once the doctor was gone, Shego turned her gaze onto Kim. "So... what? No, wait, I think I got it. She's... your mother."

Kim blinked. "Wow. Yeah, you got it in one. How did you know?"

"Even I can tell you two look related," Shego said with a shake of her head. "Hell of a lot more related than you did to that putz Possible."

Kim frowned slightly. "She seems to genuinely care about her patients," she added.

"It's fine, Princess, I don't mind a few more tests and questions." Shego shifted her weight slightly and then winced as a little too much pressure ended up on her bad leg. "Compared to this crap, it's a walk in the park."

"She was very kind when I ... needed someone," said Kim. She shivered slightly. "I didn't know what I was going to do without you."

The corner of Shego's mouth turned slightly upwards. She reached out to touch Kim's face gently. "You won't have to. I'm not going anywhere."

Kim reached up and held Shego's hand against her face. "I hope not."

Shego's half-smile slowly faded. "So what does that make us now?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kim.

"Friends who kiss each other - really well, I might add – friends with... benefits?" Shego said, a little hinting in her voice. "Maybe more?"

Kim looked up into Shego's eyes and the latter could see just the briefest hint of hunger behind them, kept carefully contained. "It felt... nice," Kim said quietly. "It was very nice."

"Nice is good," said Shego. "I like nice. Could always use more nice."

"I'm... not afraid to do it some more," said Kim, in an even quieter voice.

"Maybe you should be," said Shego. "I can be addicting."

Kim squeezed Shego's hand. "I still don't know what I want," she said.

Shego grunted. "Apart from me, you mean?"

Kim squinted her eyes a bit and seemed a bit hesitant.

"Oh, don't start," said Shego gruffly. "You always back away right after revealing yourself. For what? A label you don't like? Well, I'm not putting up with it anymore. It was cute at first, but I'm too brain damaged to endure the headaches anymore."

Shego threw down her cane and grabbed Kim around the waist, pulling her roughly against her side. She bent her head down such that their noses were almost touching. "Do you want me to leave you?"

"No," Kim said quickly.

"Do you want me to go bang Sylia 'til we're black and blue?"

"No!" Kim said more loudly.

"Do you want to live in some bland limbo, forever backing away from any decision because you don't know it's _exactly_, _specifically_what you want?"

Kim hesitated again. "No?"

"Then live in the now!" shouted Shego. "I already know how you feel about me, you can't shove that back in the box. No amount of hemming and hawing will make me forget it either! So, man it up and answer my question!"

She stopped, breathed, and then spoke again, quietly. "Do you wan to be my girlfriend?"

Kim looked at her and her voice could barely be heard. "Yes."

Shego leaned closer. "Do you want to be my lover?"

"Yes," Kim nearly squeaked.

"Do you want me to kiss you?"

"Yes."

"Well, now we're talking." Shego leaned her lips further in.

"Ahem!"

Shego paused and then turned her head slightly to the side. An older doctor with gray hair was standing in the doorway.

"Do you think, perhaps, you could take this conversation outside?" asked the doctor.

Shego looked back at Kim and the two of them smiled.

Kim grinned. "Do you want a rain check?" she asked.

"Yes."

*** End

Author's Notes: Okay, so this is obviously not Hitchhiker 4. I am still not comfortable with what I'm writing there yet to begin publishing, so stall tactics are required. Hence, here we have The Hitchhiker: Short Haul. These are a series of single chapter shorts that I'll be periodically publishing throughout November while I figure out what I'm doing with Hitchhiker 4. I hope you enjoy these, they're intended to be lighthearted and focused more on Kim and Shego (mostly anyway). There will be at least one of these a week, and maybe more if I find the time, but my attention is going to be on trying to figure out how to make Hitchhiker 4 work for me.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Caution

**2. Caution**

_Entry 61_

_I slipped coming out of the shower this morning and nearly broke my skull on the toilet._

_I feel like I'm pushing sixty with these stupid casts and slings and damn rules about how to move and stand. I'm not even thirty yet! Why the hell do I have to put up with this?_

_The Princess had a near conniption fit when she found out. I should have hid it, I know. This whole relationship thing is sort of like rusted gears with me. I forgot how girlfriends are more panicked and less impressed when you tell them you nearly avoided death earlier that day. I suppose I could have been more careful, but I also could be a totally different person who gives a damn about any of this. This injury is temporary! I'll be back to full specs in a couple weeks and all this will be quickly filed away into foggy memories._

_I'm sure of it. Doubly sure. Super sure._

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"Put that down," demanded Shego as she headed for the door. She was glaring at Kim as the latter held a black cane with green fire adorning its sides. "I don't need it."

"You nearly died this morning," insisted Kim, holding up the cane.

"I nearly bruised myself, Princess," said Shego. "It's happened before, it'll happen again." She pointed down at her leg. "This is, as has been told to me by medical professionals, a _walking_ cast. Hence, I will be walking on it."

"It doesn't hurt to be safe," said Kim.

"I'm not going to coddle myself over this. I'm getting better, I don't need that damn thing." Shego pointed sharply at the cane. The sudden movement shifted her arm in the sling and she winced at the pain.

"See? You are _getting_better but you aren't better yet," said Kim. "You could hurt yourself and then your recovery will take longer."

"I can be careful without a cane."

"What's so bad about this cane?" asked Kim, she looked at the rod in her hand for effect. "It's very pretty. I picked it out just for you."

"It's very pretty," said Shego in a condescending tone. "And I'd be glad to use it if I needed a cane, but I don't."

"Then why did you fall this morning?" asked Kim.

"Because I was wet!" shouted Shego. "I was wet, the floor was wet, everything was wet. That happens after a shower regardless of the presence of canes, casts, or slings!"

"So why now?" Kim said, her own voice raising. "If nothing was different?"

"I don't know! Why the hell does anyone fall over? Because I wasn't paying enough attention!"

"What were you paying attention to?"

"Jesus, what is this? The inquisition? Get off my back!"

"Then take the cane," Kim stepped up and held it out.

"I don't want it!" snapped Shego. "Stop putting that thing in my face or I'll shove it up your ass!"

"Tell me what's wrong!"

Shego stared at her, blankly. "What's _wrong_? What the hell do you think is wrong? You keep trying to push a cane on me that I don't want!"

"That's not what wrong," dismissed Kim.

"Oh, so you get to decide what I'm thinking now? Well, screw you! Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do." Shego turned on her good leg and started hobbling towards the door.

"Maybe not," said Kim, in a more restrained tone. "But I know when you're lying to me."

Shego put her hand on the doorknob but didn't turn it. "Yeah, and how do you figure that one?" she said towards the door.

Kim frowned. "Tell me why you were crying in the shower."

Shego snapped her head around to stare wide eyed at Kim.

"Go on," Kim said, looking back evenly. "Tell me."

Shego's eyes searched Kim's face for something it couldn't find. Then with a blink, she looked back towards the door, turned the knob a couple seconds later, and was gone within a minute.

Kim watched her go with a frown, and bit her lip when she was alone.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"You're wrong," said Shego firmly. "I don't feel like that."

Dr. Ann McKullen shrugged and leaned back in her chair with a nod. "It's outside of my area of expertise, and I would recommend seeing a specialist to be sure."

Shego shook her head and shifted her position in the chair across from the doctor's desk. She found it hard to find a comfortable position with the leg brace. "I thought you still hadn't figured out what was going on with the scarring in my brain."

"I haven't," acknowledged Ann.

"Then everything could be part of the accident," said Shego.

"It could be," said Ann.

"Then I don't understand why you're telling me this."

Ann sighed as she leaned forward and rested her hands on her desk. "Shego, the problem with a differential diagnosis is that it requires a relatively reliable timeline to effectively use. We know about your accident, and what's been happening to you since then, but I don't really understand the symptoms that could possibly predate that and when they fall into your medical record."

"I told you, it all happened when I was a kid," said Shego. "Like five or six or something."

"From your perspective," said Ann, "that is probably accurate. But there are some symptoms we can't recognize in ourselves, to say nothing of the exact nature of the damage to your brain that caused the scarring. You don't have x-rays or MRI's on file from whenever this accident occurred, so I have no idea if it really happened then or if it's completely unrelated to your sleep disorder."

"So you don't know anything," said Shego, frustrated. "Why am I even here?"

"Because until I can determine the root cause of your condition," said Ann. "I think it's best to treat the symptoms. And right now, I see the symptoms of a condition that can be treated."

"You can tell my condition but not the cause?" said Shego, skeptically.

"There are a lot of medical diagnosis' that are that way. Pneumonia, for instance, is a diagnosis that can have dozens of causes, some of which are bacterial, some are viral."

"Doesn't that change how you treat it?" asked Shego.

"It does," nodded Ann. "And how it responds to treatment helps identify what the cause might be."

Shego looked down at her lap. She had her fingers interlaced and was slowly flexing them around her knuckles. "And you think that might be the case with me?"

"I'm not sure," said Ann. "But I think it's worth finding out. If it can be treated classically, then we know these symptoms are not part of the underlying cause of your scarring." She made a small, sympathetic smile. "Also, if it can be treated classically, you can start to feel better sooner."

Shego looked up at Ann and tried – but failed – to feel comfort in her smile. "How do I get better?"

"See a specialist," said Ann. "And sit down and talk to Kim about it."

Shego shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" said Ann, softly.

"She… won't understand."

"I think she will," said Ann.

"I can't anyway, she… we're fighting," admitted Shego.

"About what?"

"This. All this. Everything that's going on in my life right now," said Shego. "She keeps treating me like I'm weak. Some little child to be coddled." Her voice got louder and she started to frown. "She wants to be my 'hero' like in the old days." She breathed deliberately to calm herself. "I don't want to be saved."

"You need to be," said Ann.

Shego glared at her.

"Don't get that way at me," said Ann with a warning tone. "Every person needs their heroes. Sure, they may not be larger than life all the time, may not move mountains, or fly into the heavens, or even drop a million dollar purse on you when you're broke, but that doesn't make them less important. The everyday heroes, the ones who are there for you for small things… those are the heroes we need to get by in life."

"That's not being a hero," said Shego. "That's just being… civil."

"And why don't you think Kim wants that?"

"You don't know," said Shego with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The things she used to do I can't even talk about because nobody would believe it. She does nothing in small amounts."

"You are right that I don't know much about Kim," said Ann. She leaned forward slightly. "But I do know what it feels like to be in love."

Shego rose her head to look at the doctor.

"I know what it's like to be the biggest part of someone else's world," continued Ann. "I know what it's like to be afraid that you can't live up to that expectation. The fear of that disappointment and whether it will lead to loss. Loss that hurts so much you'd rather throw away everything now instead of risk it hurting more later." She leaned back into her chair again. "Love and life aren't that different. You lose your love and it leads to heart break. You lose what makes your life whole, and it leads to—"

"Depression," said Shego, letting the word escape her lips.

Ann nodded. "The good news is, you're going to get better from this. A few week of healing, a few weeks of rehab, and everything taken from you is restored again. Unless you do something silly during this time and destroy something that has nothing to do with your accident."

Shego had nothing more to say.

"Here," Ann handed her patient a card. "You can talk to this person. Trust them. I know them quite well. Take Kim with you if it helps. And in a few weeks, let me know if your sleep cycle returns to its normal, irregular pattern. Then we can cross those symptoms off the list. Okay?"

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Kim was sitting by the window of the apartment, looking up at the evening sky when the door opened again. She turned to see Shego standing there, her hand on the door jamb keeping her balanced as she held the brace-covered leg off the ground.

"Shego," said Kim softly. She slowly crossed the dimly lit apartment to come right up to Shego as the woman lifted her head to stare. Kim stopped short of reaching out towards her and looked into her eyes for consent.

After a moment, Shego nodded slightly. Kim reached under her shoulder to help lift and guide her away from the door. They walked slowly, in step, to keep weight off the leg and to avoid moving the arm tied under the sling. A few coordinated moves later they were seated on the couch and Kim was gently lifting the lame leg to rest it on the coffee table.

Once settled, Kim sat back, shifted slightly apart from Shego on the couch, and waited. They stayed that way for several minutes.

"You can talk," said Shego eventually.

"I've heard you before," said Kim, slowly but deliberately. "In the shower. That's how I knew."

Shego nodded again. "I figured." She grimaced. "After I left, anyway, I figured it out."

"Why won't you t-talk to me?" asked Kim. She felt her voice catch but tried to bear through it. She didn't want to lose this chance at conversation in a flurry of pointless emotion. That was her rationalization, anyway. Like how cold it was being the reason she was shivering.

"I'm afraid," said Shego, breathlessly.

Kim felt the shock cross her face despite her efforts to hide it. "Of me?" she asked.

Shego shook her head back and forth widely. "No, no, of course not of you. I'm not afraid of you." She reached out with her good arm and gently pulled Kim closer. She brought the smaller woman to her chest and rested her head against her. "I'll never be afraid of you."

Kim felt the warmth of the embrace and could already feel her worries start to fade. "What are you afraid of?" she asked into Shego's neck.

Shego's lip quivered far out of Kim's sight. "I don't know what I'm becoming."

Kim pulled herself back to look into Shego's eyes again. The latter's conflicted expression told her exactly how scared she really was. "What do you mean?"

"Look at where I am," said Shego. "I'm living in an apartment in California. I'm working for a eccentric tycoon who wants me to plan a sporting event. My rig is in lockup in Boston. My baby girl is in pieces in some garage. I haven't seen a shipping manifest in months. And you…" she trailed off and looked back and forth between Kim's eyes. "I haven't been important to someone else in years. I'm not even sure I've ever been. Everything that made me who I am is … gone. What am I now?"

Shego shuddered in Kim's arms and the younger woman pulled her closer and tighter. She'd never seen the brash and fearless Shego like this before, and that was more than a little scary. But she also knew that the brash and fearless Shego wasn't gone, no more than the heroic Kim Possible had vanished when she was displaced from her world.

"Those things aren't what make you who you are," said Kim softly. "You're not your job, or where you live or even your favorite hobby. Who you are can't be taken from you."

"What if I stupidly gave it away?" asked Shego.

"I don't think you would," said Kim. "You knew what you were doing. What happened on the track was just an accident, not fate. You wanted to be closer to racing, closer to where you could stand out and be seen. You resigned yourself to trucking, but I don't think you ever really wanted it. If anything, who you were was the shell, and now, here, you're getting closer to who you really are."

Kim reached down and took Shego's hands into hers, being careful around the one sticking out of the sling. "And I'm here to help, if I can. But I don't think you need me. You're Shego. I don't define you." She smiled. "I just gave you a name."

Shego looked at her gently held hands and then up at Kim's smiling, confident face. She did need her, more than she'd ever admit. The path she wanted to walk was terrifying, and she never would have tried if Kim had not pushed her to. No, Kim wasn't her hero, as she insinuated to Ann, she was her rival. She didn't lead, she pushed. And pushing was what Shego needed right now.

Slowly, Shego released one of Kim's hands and reached into her pocket. With a touch of her fingers she gently laid a business card in the palm of the younger woman's hand. Kim looked down at the text on the card.

_Terri Talstead, Psy.D_

_Clinical Therapist_

Kim looked back at Shego and nodded slowly.

"She said I should to talk to someone," said Shego eventually. "Dr McKullen did. She said I might have depression."

"We'll make an appointment tomorrow," said Kim.

*** End

A/N: Terri Talstead is an original character created while I was writing Apocolocyntosis to be Kim's therapist. I'll be reusing part of her characterization here, though she'll, at best, be a minor character going forward.

Dr. Talstead in Apocolocyntosis, well, she was destined for bigger things. _Still_ destined for bigger things, in fact. As soon as Hitchhiker 4 is done.


End file.
